Our morning started bright and early as usual with wake up at 6:00AM, breakfast at 6:30AM and then off to shore in the pangas by 7:00AM. Today we were treated to a beautiful walk along the shore to a fur seal colony. The fur seals were located in some stunning grottos created by lava tubed along the coastline.
They have incredibly thick coats and differ from sea lions in that their heads are basically plopped onto their shoulders without any long neck, they have short snouts like a bear, and they are much smaller than sea lions. I have seen fur seals in Antarctica and they are some of the most dangerous animals on that continent due to their aggressive nature but here in the Galapagos they are not threatening at all. We got some great close up views and then walked amongst the tide pools which were filled with marine iguanas and red crabs.
After our walk we set off to snorkel along the nearby cliffs and were able to swim into some giant caves which were backlit so that the turtles and fish seemed to hang in space when viewed from the back of the cave. One cave allowed you to swim underwater and connect into a different chamber - it was fun to challenge ourselves to make it through. Probably the highlight of today’s snorkel was a total of 7 white tipped reef sharks that were swimming placidly just about 10 feet below us. Some of us dove down and swam side by side with the sharks. They ranged in size from 4-6 feet. No danger at all - they just viewed us as another species of fish and went on their merry way. Certainly a memorable moment for our family as it was the first time Jale and the kids had swam with sharks. Pretty cool.
Later Richard gave a fascinating talk about geology and how the islands formed (a volcanic hot spot created the chain of islands dating back 3 million years). We learned about plate tectonics, subduction zones, slip/strike faults and more. The composition of the lava here is unique in that it does not explode like volcanoes on the mainland so instead you get more of an oozing spillover.
Richard is one of the scientists that sample the lava and he said that on the mainland he has lost 6 friends (fellow scientists) to volcanic eruptions. Makes one pause and appreciate those that risk their lives in the name of science.
After a kayak session around the scenic bay we pulled up anchor and headed into deeper waters where we encountered an amazing site of over 100 spinner dolphins leaping as high as 10 feet out of the water and flopping onto their sides with a big “whoomp”. It was like they were have a contest - it looked like they were having a blast. Our yacht positioned us right in the middle of this scene so we got some excellent photos and close up views. We then continued along some steep lush cliffs on a sunset cruise and we all gathered on the top deck to watch the sky as it changed colors.
There was an enormous cumulous cloud filled with ominous dark rain in the distance and it let loose a series of lightning strikes that were spectacular to witness across the horizon as the sun turned into a glowing orange ball and the clouds all turned into giant pink cotton candy.
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